Refinishing NATO Fuel Cans?

[Nadir_E]

Hi Everyone,
I have several surplus NATO fuel cans and found that even after sanding away any rust and roughening up the surface in general, they don't seem to hold paint very well. A single trip with two cans (tightly) strapped to one another results in lots of bare metal where they were in contact with one another.

Of course it could be that any amount of use is going to result in a loss of finish, but I was wondering if perhaps there was something more durable I could use in lieu of spray paint. For example, would sand-blasting down to bare metal everywhere and powder coating be substantially more durable?

I can live with touch-up painting, just wondering if there's a better way...

Thanks,
-Nadir

 

[I Leak Oil]

That's a tall order! Try keeping them seperated so they don't rub on one another. Any paint is going to come off as long as the cans are in contact with one another.
Jason T.

 

[Layonnn]

I plan on using a self applied linex type of material once mine start to wear really bad.

 

[Darton]

Line-x?

 

[Michael Slade]

I powder-coated all 8 of mine after having them sand-blasted. I picked the same green that I did my Land Rover rims in...British Racing Green.

They have scuffed and scraped, but the coating is holding up great.

 

[Layonnn]

I powder-coated all 8 of mine after having them sand-blasted. I picked the same green that I did my Land Rover rims in...British Racing Green.

They have scuffed and scraped, but the coating is holding up great.

Powdercoating is the best option.

Mind me asking how much you were charged per can?

 

[ntsqd]

POR-15, done with their recommended prep to the letter, followed by an aerosol UV resistant top-coat (POR degrades with UV exposure) applied while the POR-15 is still slightly tacky. I normally use Rustoleum for the top coat.

POR by itself will load up and clog 36 grit sand paper to the point of uselessness in pretty short order. A friend has been using it for going on 15 years. It is pretty impressive stuff when the prep is done right. Good at resisting abrasion, even on axle housings drug over rocks! Not impervious though, you can abrade it off eventually. The prep is crucial to the ultimate performance. There are other moisture curing polyurethane paints out there that are not as finicky about the prep, but I do not know exactly which those are, nor do I know what their long term performance might be.

I've witnessed Powder Coat lift from the surface. When done well with the correct prep and primer coating it might be good enough, but that hasn't been my experience with it. Sand blasting results in silicon being impinged into the metal and causes the same kind of adhesion problems that it does with paint. A good PC applier will use steel slag instead of sand to rough and prep the surfaces.

 

[Michael Slade]

Powdercoating is the best option.

Mind me asking how much you were charged per can?

I don't know honestly... I had an account with a place in Portland, Oregon who was doing a LOT of powdercoating for me. They would charge me a rate based on weight of materials. Seems like it wasn't outrageous, but I know we were getting a pretty good break. They were the place that was doing the powdercoating for WARN before WARN installed their own line and oven. Good stuff.

EDIT: I realized that I misspoke when I mentioned the color of my Rover rims. They are powdercoated the correct color for the year, Bronze Green. Doh!

 

[off-roader]

POR-15, done with their recommended prep to the letter, followed by an aerosol UV resistant top-coat (POR degrades with UV exposure) applied while the POR-15 is still slightly tacky. I normally use Rustoleum for the top coat.

Hmm good idea. I'll have to give this a try as I have the same issues he's facing w/ my wedco/nato cans.

 

[Robert Bills]

Gerry cans tend to get banged up with use. While powdercoat or specialty coatings will look good for quite some time, I cannot justify the expense. Some periodic sandpapering and a fresh coat of rattlecan paint keep mine looking good for minimal cost and effort. Besides, the dings and dents signal that my rig is really used offroad.

 

[angusdevil]

Gerry cans tend to get banged up with use. While powdercoat or specialty coatings will look good for quite some time, I cannot justify the expense. Some periodic sandpapering and a fresh coat of rattlecan paint keep mine looking good for minimal cost and effort. Besides, the dings and dents signal that my rig is really used offroad.

Same here, as long as I can tell if its red, blue or green, I let them stay banged up as long as possible

 

[TeriAnn]

Besides, the dings and dents signal that my rig is really used offroad.

I'm a strong believer in the saying: "Buy/make quality gear, then take care of your gear and it will take care of you"

So I tend to pay attention to dings, dents and dirt when they occur as well as condition and finish. As soon as I come back from a trip I clean everything and power wash the underside of my truck. It seems like I'm refinishing something every time I turn around. But I'm into my truck for the long haul.

I really don't care if anyone thinks my truck ever goes off road and am one of the first to smile and reply "Oh, its just a well dressed mall terrain vehicle"

Anyway, I suggest that you get your cans properly powdercoated and that you take care of them. With the new US federal regulations jerry cans are going to be harder to find and more expensive in the States. So make them last.

 

[toy_tek]

I recently obtained 3 fuel cans and 1 water can. They were refinished on the outside, but the insides have a fairly good layer of rust... unusable at this point.

Anyone have any suggestions? Are there bladders available that affix to the opening?

 

[G_Boyd]

I realize this is an old topic but I was wondering if the heat of the powdercoat oven would destroy the lining of the nato cans...

Greg

 

[97tjguzzy]

I realize this is an old topic but I was wondering if the heat of the powdercoat oven would destroy the lining of the nato cans...

Greg

that was my first thought when I read this thread